SPHERE Schallplatten & CDs

Review: A recent search through the Red Records archive uncovered two quarter-inch tapes, originally thought to be blank. To everyone involved's surprise, each reel held a previously unknown track by the cult jazz group Sphere. This find is remarkable for those who know as Sphere's official recording catalogue is notably sparse and in fact is limited to just two Elektra Musician releases and two Red Records live recordings. This discovery adds valuable depth to the legacy of a group with few official recordings and brings new weight to their influential contributions to jazz.

Review: BBE Music continues to delve into the exceptional back catalogue of Detroit's Strata label. Overall, there's not a huge amount there, with just ten albums released during the imprint's tenure. Nevertheless, what's there has plenty worth diving into, not least the stunning cover designs by iconic jazz poet John Sinclair - aesthetics to set the mood, make no mistake.
Sphere's Inside Ourselves was the third record put out on the platform. Recorded live at the Detroit Institute of Arts on 28th June 1970, and like much of the Strata stuff, this is about boundary-free jazz that captivates and compels the listener as much as it seems to entrance and possess those playing it. Indicative of the overall standard that came out of the camp itself, collective memories of Sphere themselves seem hazy, but John Dana, Jimmy Peluso, Keith Vreeland, Eddie Nuccilli and Larry Nozero made up the outfit, so props to them.